Campbell County, Kentucky

County in Kentucky, United States

County in Kentucky

Campbell County

County

The Campbell County Courthouse in Newport

Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky

Kentucky's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 38°57′N 84°23′W﻿ / ﻿38.95°N 84.38°W﻿ / 38.95; -84.38
Country|  United States
State|  Kentucky
Founded| December 17, 1794
Named after| John Campbell
Seat| Alexandria and Newport
Largest city| Fort Thomas
Area

• Total

| 159 sq mi (410 km2)
• Land| 151 sq mi (390 km2)
• Water| 8.1 sq mi (21 km2)  5.1%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 93,076

• Estimate

(2024)

| 94,008
• Density| 590/sq mi (230/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district| 4th
Website| www.campbellcountyky.gov

Campbell County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,076.[1] Its county seats are Alexandria and Newport.[2] The county was formed on December 17, 1794, from sections of Scott, Harrison, and Mason Counties[3][4] and was named for Colonel John Campbell (1735–1799), a Revolutionary War soldier and Kentucky legislator. Campbell County, with Boone and Kenton Counties, is part of the Northern Kentucky metro community, and the Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

[edit]

Campbell County was founded December 17, 1794, two years after the creation of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, becoming the state's 19th county. Campbell County was carved out of Scott, Harrison and Mason counties.[5] The original county included all of present Boone, Kenton, Pendleton, and most of Bracken and Grant counties. Campbell County is named in honor of John Campbell,[6] an Irish immigrant who was a soldier, explorer, statesman and one of the drafters of the Kentucky Constitution.

The first courthouse, built of logs, was replaced in 1815 by a brick structure. The present courthouse dates from 1884.[7]

### County seat

[edit]

Wilmington, a pioneer settlement, was the original county seat of Campbell County from 1794 until 1797. The original justices in the Campbell County Court were John Roberts, Thomas Kennedy, Samuel Bryan, John Cook, James Little, Robert Benham and John Bush. Newport was designated as the county seat until 1823, when it was moved to Visalia, at that time closer to the geographical center of the county. This was an unpopular action, however, as the overwhelming majority of residents lived in the north, along the Ohio River. The county court returned to Newport in 1824 and remained there until 1840.

In 1840, Kenton County was created, primarily out of a significant portion of Campbell. The Kentucky General Assembly forced the county to move its seat to Alexandria, closer to the center of the new, smaller Campbell County. In 1883, after years of lobbying, the General Assembly established a special provision to allow Newport to designate a Court House District separate from the offices in Alexandria.

The special Courthouse Commission legislation led to the misconception that the county was dual seated, but Alexandria remained the sole de jure county seat.[8] It was not until November 24, 2010, that a court ruling granted Newport equal status as a county seat.[2]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 159 square miles (410 km2), of which 151 square miles (390 km2) is land and 8.1 square miles (21 km2) (5.1%) is water.[9] It is the fourth-smallest county in Kentucky by land area and fifth-smallest by total area. It lies along the Ohio and Licking Rivers.

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Hamilton County, Ohio (north)
* Clermont County, Ohio (east)
* Pendleton County (south)
* Kenton County (west)

### Major highways

[edit]

* I-275
* I-471
* US 27
* KY 8
* KY 9
* KY 10
* KY 154
* KY 536
* KY 547
* KY 824
* KY 915
* KY 1120
* KY 1121
* KY 1566
* KY 1632
* KY 1936
* KY 1996
* KY 1997
* KY 1998
* KY 2345
* KY 2376
* KY 2828
* KY 2921
* KY 2924

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1800| 1,903| | —
1810| 3,473| | 82.5%
1820| 7,022| | 102.2%
1830| 9,883| | 40.7%
1840| 5,214| | −47.2%
1850| 13,127| | 151.8%
1860| 20,909| | 59.3%
1870| 27,406| | 31.1%
1880| 37,440| | 36.6%
1890| 44,208| | 18.1%
1900| 54,223| | 22.7%
1910| 59,369| | 9.5%
1920| 61,868| | 4.2%
1930| 73,391| | 18.6%
1940| 71,918| | −2.0%
1950| 76,196| | 5.9%
1960| 86,803| | 13.9%
1970| 88,704| | 2.2%
1980| 83,317| | −6.1%
1990| 83,866| | 0.7%
2000| 88,616| | 5.7%
2010| 90,336| | 1.9%
2020| 93,076| | 3.0%
2024 (est.)| 94,008| [10]| 1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13]
1990-2000[14] 2010-2020[1]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 88,616 people, 34,742 households, and 23,103 families residing in the county. The population density was 585 per square mile (226/km2). There were 36,898 housing units at an average density of 244 per square mile (94/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.64% White, 1.57% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. This number has decreased to about 0.2% based on a 2006 Census Estimate by the United States Census Bureau.

There were 34,742 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.30% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.09.

The age distribution was 25.60% under 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,903, and the median income for a family was $51,481. Males had a median income of $37,931 versus $27,646 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,637. About 7.30% of families and 9.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

## Education

[edit]

There are six school districts in Campbell County.[16]

* Bellevue Independent Schools, Bellevue
* Campbell County Schools, Alexandria
* Dayton Independent Schools, Dayton
* Fort Thomas Independent Schools, Fort Thomas
* Newport Independent Schools, Newport
* Southgate Independent School District has but one PreK-8th school in it.

former

* Silver Grove Independent Schools, Silver Grove - merged with the Campbell County district on July 1, 2019.[17]

Northern Kentucky University located in Highland Heights provides the area with access to higher education.

### Public high schools

[edit]

Students in the county attend one of 6 public and 2 parochial high schools.

### Private high schools

[edit]

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington
* Bishop Brossart High School, Alexandria
* Newport Central Catholic High School, Newport

## Communities

[edit]

Campbell County Courthouse and county historical marker in Alexandria, Kentucky

### Cities

[edit]

* Alexandria (county seat)
* Bellevue
* California
* Cold Spring
* Crestview
* Dayton
* Fort Thomas
* Highland Heights
* Melbourne
* Mentor
* Newport (county seat)
* Silver Grove
* Southgate
* Wilder
* Woodlawn

### Census-designated place

[edit]

* Claryville

### Other unincorporated places

[edit]

* Brayville
* Camp Springs
* Oneonta \- probably named after Oneonta, New York. Located midway between Ross and California,[18] the settlement was conveniently located beside the Ohio River as a docking place for ferrying people and supplies especially from New Richmond, Ohio (once the largest and most flourishing village in Clermont County) toward Alexandria, Kentucky.

## Politics

[edit]

United States presidential election results for Campbell County, Kentucky[19] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 28,450  | 58.86% | 18,952  | 39.21%  | 932  | 1.93%
2020 | 28,482  | 58.27% | 19,374  | 39.64%  | 1,022  | 2.09%
2016 | 25,050  | 58.93% | 14,658  | 34.48%  | 2,802  | 6.59%
2012 | 24,240  | 60.33% | 15,080  | 37.53%  | 857  | 2.13%
2008 | 24,046  | 59.67% | 15,622  | 38.77%  | 629  | 1.56%
2004 | 25,540  | 63.57% | 14,253  | 35.48%  | 382  | 0.95%
2000 | 20,789  | 61.45% | 12,040  | 35.59%  | 1,000  | 2.96%
1996 | 16,640  | 53.31% | 11,957  | 38.30%  | 2,619  | 8.39%
1992 | 16,382  | 49.88% | 10,673  | 32.50%  | 5,785  | 17.62%
1988 | 19,387  | 66.61% | 9,553  | 32.82%  | 164  | 0.56%
1984 | 21,473  | 69.99% | 9,068  | 29.56%  | 138  | 0.45%
1980 | 16,743  | 57.32% | 11,059  | 37.86%  | 1,406  | 4.81%
1976 | 15,798  | 54.81% | 12,423  | 43.10%  | 600  | 2.08%
1972 | 20,025  | 68.01% | 8,585  | 29.16%  | 835  | 2.84%
1968 | 13,681  | 48.51% | 9,747  | 34.56%  | 4,775  | 16.93%
1964 | 12,209  | 43.20%  | 16,012  | 56.65% | 43  | 0.15%
1960 | 17,388  | 54.21% | 14,690  | 45.79%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 18,617  | 63.82% | 10,359  | 35.51%  | 195  | 0.67%
1952 | 17,705  | 57.64% | 12,976  | 42.25%  | 35  | 0.11%
1948 | 11,851  | 46.29%  | 13,008  | 50.81% | 744  | 2.91%
1944 | 13,647  | 51.17% | 12,959  | 48.59%  | 64  | 0.24%
1940 | 14,916  | 50.02% | 14,801  | 49.63%  | 103  | 0.35%
1936 | 10,327  | 34.20%  | 16,780  | 55.57% | 3,089  | 10.23%
1932 | 11,665  | 38.62%  | 17,776  | 58.85% | 767  | 2.54%
1928 | 17,317  | 54.25% | 14,508  | 45.45%  | 95  | 0.30%
1924 | 12,329  | 49.44% | 5,564  | 22.31%  | 7,043  | 28.24%
1920 | 12,210  | 50.93% | 10,597  | 44.20%  | 1,169  | 4.88%
1916 | 5,696  | 41.90%  | 7,290  | 53.62% | 609  | 4.48%
1912 | 2,276  | 20.88%  | 4,687  | 43.00% | 3,937  | 36.12%

Politically, Campbell County is very Republican. In presidential elections it has only voted Democratic once since 1948.[19]

The county voted "No" on 2022 Kentucky Amendment 2, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 57% to 43%, and backed Donald Trump with 58% of the vote to Joe Biden's 40% in the 2020 presidential election.[20]

### Elected officials

[edit]

Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[21][22]

U.S. House | Thomas Massie (R)  | KY 4
Ky. Senate | Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R)  | 24
Ky. House | Matthew Lehman (D)  | 67
Mike Clines (R)  | 68
Mark Hart (R)  | 78

## See also

[edit]

* United States portal

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Campbell County, Kentucky

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
2. ^ a b Nolan v. Campbell County Fiscal Court Kentucky Court of Appeals. November 24, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
3. ^ "Campbell County Kentucky GenWeb".
4. ^ "Campbell County". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. 2000. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
5. ^ Collins, Lewis (1882). Collins' Historical Sketches of Kentucky: History of Kentucky, Volume 2. Collins & Company. p. 26.
6. ^ The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 34.
7. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1996). The WPA Guide to Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. p. 248\. ISBN 0813108659. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
8. ^ The Kentucky Enquirer: "Judge: Alexandria the only county seat". May 12, 2009.
9. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
10. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
11. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
12. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
13. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
14. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
16. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Campbell County, KY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022. \- Text list \- 2010 map (showing Silver Grove) and 2010 text list \- For more detailed boundaries of the independent school districts see: "Appendix B: Maps Of Independent School Districts In Operation In FY 2014-FY 2015 Using 2005 Tax District Boundaries – Bellevue ISD / Dayton ISD / Fort Thomas ISD / Newport ISD / Silver Grove ISD / Southgate ISD" (PDF). Research Report No. 415 – Kentucky's Independent School Districts: A Primer. Frankfort, KY: Office of Education Accountability, Legislative Research Commission. September 15, 2015. pp. 92 (Bellevue), 103 (Dayton), 109 (Fort Thomas), 121 (Newport), 132 (Silver Grove), and 134 (Southgate) (PDF p. 106, 117, 135, 146, 148/174). Archived (PDF) from the original on December 10, 2020.
17. ^ Crumbie, Trey (July 4, 2019). "Education commissioner troubled by West Point school district". The News Enterprise. Elizabethtown, KY. Retrieved October 25, 2019. "On July 1, Silver Grove Independent School District merged with Campbell County Schools;"
18. ^ Google Map: Oneonta, Kentucky. Accessed December 22, 2022.
19. ^ a b Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
20. ^ "November 8, 2022 - Official 2022 General Election Results" (PDF). Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
21. ^ "Senate Members - County". apps.legislature.ky.gov. Kentucky General Assembly. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
22. ^ "House Members - County". apps.legislature.ky.gov. Kentucky General Assembly. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Campbell County government's website
* Campbell County Public Library
* Campbell County Search & Rescue
* Historical Images and Texts of Campbell County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Campbell County, Kentucky, United States

County seat: Alexandria

Cities|

* Alexandria
* Bellevue
* California
* Cold Spring
* Crestview
* Dayton
* Fort Thomas
* Highland Heights
* Melbourne
* Mentor
* Newport
* Silver Grove
* Southgate
* Wilder
* Woodlawn

Location of Campbell County, Kentucky

CDP|

* Claryville

Unincorporated
communities|

* Beagle
* Camp Springs
* Carthage

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38°57′N 84°23′W﻿ / ﻿38.95°N 84.38°W﻿ / 38.95; -84.38

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